Renaissance Technologies LLC Takes Position in American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG)

Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 36,700 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,025,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 996,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,481,000 after acquiring an additional 63,193 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA purchased a new stake in American Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $575,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,596 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of American Financial Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 59,029 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,075,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 53,834 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,372,000 after buying an additional 2,474 shares in the last quarter. 64.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on American Financial Group from $144.00 to $126.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

American Financial Group Stock Down 2.7 %

AFG traded down $3.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $125.60. 72,328 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 372,085. The firm has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 0.59. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.73 and a 12-month high of $150.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $125.77 and a 200 day moving average of $132.49.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.03). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 20.30% and a net margin of 10.66%. Analysts predict that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. American Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 30.27%.

Insider Transactions at American Financial Group

In other news, Director Gregory G. Joseph acquired 3,000 shares of American Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $121.00 per share, for a total transaction of $363,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 57,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,954,717. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc, an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. The company offers property and transportation insurance products, such as physical damage and liability coverage for buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine, agricultural-related products, and other commercial property and specialty transportation coverages; specialty casualty insurance, including primarily excess and surplus, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty coverage in targeted markets, as well as customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses and workers' compensation insurance; and specialty financial insurance products comprising risk management insurance programs for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety products, and trade credit insurance.